Tempest / Merchant of Venice / Taming of the Shrew -- When I need to relax or want to read for entertainment, I pick up Shakespeare's plays. Dramatic, entertaining, great for conversation, and insightful. There also short, like 70 pages (give or take).

Mere Christianity was originally broadcasted by BBC as a series of radio talks between 1942-44 (during WW2). Since that time, Mere Christianity has sold millions of copies worldwide. Lewis not only provides an introduction to several basic Christian truths (and virtues), he also offers Christian guidance to war-torn Britain (and the world) as questions about war and evil and pain are raised.

The brilliance of Grudem's Systematic Theology is that it is so clear and accessible to a wide readership. I also appreciate how he offers hymns at the end of each chapter. Grudem explains why he does this: "Systematic theology at its best will result in praise." The reason why I prefer both Packer and Grudem is that they offer an intelligent faith, but not a faith that is stuffy and heartless.

My mother gave The Pursuit of God to me in 2001 at a significant point in my spiritual life: the early college days. Similar to Packer's Knowing God, Tozer blends the life of the mind with the passions of the heart. The Pursuit of God is an annual read.

MacArthur does not mince his words as he argues for "lordship salvation." This book changed the way that I understood salvation. Again, readers beware: MacArthur takes no prisoners and offers no quarter.

The Weight of Glory is a collection of extraordinary addresses (loosely, "sermons"), which Lewis delivered "during the late war and the years that immediately followed it." Lewis offers paradigm-shaping insights re: faith and joy and beauty and glory.